subject: Pasture Management For Horses [print this page] Pasture Management For Horses Pasture Management For Horses
For the majority of people wood will be the best option when it comes to choosing an appropriate material for fencing in your paddock. However, vinyl is a cheaper potential alternative which has the added bonus of requiring less ongoing care.As a general rule fences should be at least 5 feet high so that there is no chance of a horse escaping the paddock. Furthermore it is important to ensure the fence is thick enough to stand the weight of a horse should they choose to lean against it. When considering these points it is obviously essential to consider how the size, weight and bread of your horse will influence the dimensions of the fence your paddock requires. The key to good paddock maintenance is frequently inspecting and looking after the grass. In a perfect world all paddocks would naturally drain perfectly. For those who aren't quite so lucky there is help available. Often people consider horses to be poor grazers, choosing only a few certain areas of grass and manuring in only specific areas in which they will then never graze. As such horse droppings should be removed as soon as possible; especially as this can lead to infection. However, no amount of paddock maintenance can stop overgrazing if the paddock is too small, this is bad for your horses and so you should ideally aim to give each horse approximately 3 acres. Obviously this will vary depending on the size and breed of your horse. It is especially important to look after your paddock during extreme weather conditions. Overly dry land should be rectified immediately; ie. replacing grass or watering the paddock. Inspecting and treating grass thoroughly will include soil analysis, harrowing, topping, fertilising, re-seeding and correct drainage.The soil in your land should always be analysed before any fertiliser application. The pH of the soil will tell you what, if anything, is lacking in your soil. The soil should ideally have a pH level of 6.5. An application of land will often be necessary if the soil analysis finds that your land is too acidic. Artificial fertilisers should be avoided wherever possible as these can harm wildlife.Another important aspect of paddock management is to rotate your horse(s) while grazing. The land should be rested for at least two weeks every few months. This can be accomplished even where you have a relatively small amount of land to work with as small areas an be sectioned off.
